Mumbai: Locals protest at SGNP over illegal water pipe connection

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) authorities had to close the entry of visitors to the park on Friday afternoon as a mob of around 500-700 people had gathered at the main gate of SGNP in protest of a person against whom a complainant was registered for doing illegal water pipe connection inside the jurisdiction of forest in Malad area.

Confirming the same an official from SGNP said, "The RFO of Tulsi range had take action against one person from Malad area that had illegally done the work of water pipe line connection. A mob of 500-700 people from the area gathered at the SGNP gate in protest of the same along with NCP Leader and MLC Vidya Chavan said, "One of our party workers was picked up by the forest department officials on wee hours of Friday morning and more than 50 FD officials entered his house and took him along with them saying that he has illegally done water connection in the area. People were angry about the same as he had not done anything wrong. The water connection that was done in the area is not at all in the forest land and we have already given various proofs about the same to FD officials but still they keep troubling the poor people staying in the Kurar village area adjacent to the park."

The angry locals even visited the park and met the SGNP Director Vikas Gupta and kept their point forward. The locals alleged that the FD officials are deliberately troubling the residents.